The invention relates generally to public restroom equipment and accessories, and in particular to a touchless soap and water dispenser for a toilet stall. Currently in the United States, going to the restroom is a “dry” process. Individuals using public restroom facilities have no ability for personal cleansing after a bowel movement and wiping as normal. This invention can be used for personal hygiene, and facility cleanliness (prior to and after sitting down).
A few years ago, operators of many public restrooms installed increasingly popular personal wipes—pre-moistened towelettes that are often advertised as “flushable”—which were being blamed for creating clogs and backups in sewer systems around the nation. Bidets have been installed in most public restrooms in the Middle East, North Africa, Western Europe, East Asia, and Latin America. A bidet provides a stream of water which functions in a manner similar to toilet paper. However, managers of public buildings in North America have resisted the installation of bidets due to the substantial floor space and expense they would require.
Add-on devices to provide bidet-like functions on a conventional toilet are also expensive, and each design has proven to be less than satisfactory in its own way. As more and more immigrants come to North America, it has become more imperative to accommodate their public restroom needs as well.
A search of the prior art reveals various devices which have been developed to provide the features of a soap and water dispenser for a toilet stall. None are closely related to the present invention, but several include features which resemble those of the present invention. Each has proven to be less than satisfactory for the present purpose in its own way.
Water and soap dispensing scrubber apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,334 (priority Mar. 7, 1996), provides a primary fluid, e.g. water, and auxiliary fluid, e.g. soap, dispensing scrubber apparatus includes a pistol-shaped housing which has a hand-grip portion and a scrubber-holder portion. A primary fluid conveyance assembly includes, in sequence, an inlet end, a pre-valve conduit, a valve assembly, a post-valve conduit, and an outlet end. A flexible hose has one end connected to the inlet end of the primary fluid conveyance assembly and has another end which includes a faucet connector. Rechargeable batteries are housed within the housing and power a DC motor. A trigger-containing switch assembly is connected between the motor and the batteries. A drive shaft is connected to the motor, and a scrubber head is connected to the drive shaft. A spray nozzle is connected to the outlet end of the post-valve conduit. The drive shaft is hollow and forms a portion of the post-valve conduit of the primary fluid conveyance assembly. A fluid-tight seal is connected between a lead-in portion of the post-valve conduit and the hollow drive shaft. A motor armature includes a hollow armature shaft which serves as the drive shaft and also forms a portion of the post-valve conduit of the primary fluid conveyance assembly. The scrubber head may be in the form of a brush or a sponge. A container assembly, connected to the housing, contains a quantity of an auxiliary fluid which is moved to the valve assembly through a feed tube.
Personal cleansing spray device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,679 (priority Jul. 2, 2004), provides a personal cleansing device that is low in cost, and simple to manufacture from standard components, that provides cleaning capabilities with water, and can provide a cleaning and antiseptic spray using a fluid-dispensing attachment. A water branch off valve is installed in flowable relation with the water supply line of a standard toilet. This valve supplies water to a flexible hose that may be retractable. This hose is connected to a manually operated sprayer nozzle having a trigger mechanism that may be used to turn the delivery of water on or off.
Restroom convenience center, U.S. Patent Appl. No. 2009/0119142 (priority Nov. 5, 2007), provides a restroom monitoring system for monitoring attributes of fixtures within a restroom using sensors. Additional attributes are determined from the monitored attributes. Consumable usage levels are estimated based on predetermined consumption levels associated with usage states of the fixtures. The restroom monitoring system provides an indication of the need for replenishment of consumables based on the monitored attributes of the fixtures. In addition, restroom monitoring system may provide additional information regarding the restroom attributes to a service provider, a manager or a user.
Self-cleaning sanitary apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,821 (priority Jun. 28, 1982), provides a booth provided with an automatically openable door, and formed by an outer shell having an inner shell off-centered therein. Thereby between the two shells a space is defined, which accommodates devices for effecting the functions of the apparatus. The cited devices comprise an automatic dispenser of toilet paper, a hand washing compartment for the user, equipped with an automatic soap dispenser, and a plurality of flushing liquid dispensing nozzles arranged peripherally over the inner wall of the inner shell. The inner shell interior includes a bowl seat and a tilting footrest acting as a floor, which is connected to weight sensing members for a person, in turn connected to members controlling the cabin door opening and closing to only enable its use by a single person.
Device and method for dispensing liquid media, WIPO Patent No. WO2003106772 (priority Jun. 17, 2002), provides a fully or partially back-lightable hood or cover. The working or backlighting is preferably controllable in dependence on the presence of persons in the area of the device. By the action of the switching-on to light the attention of users who approach the valve can be directed to the device or the valve. The valve can be configured so that luminous information or advertising messages can be displayed on the inner or rear side of the hood or cover or projected, which also attract the user's attention. Alternatively, such information can also be projected by a viewing window in the hood to a nearby wall or a mirror. The information or advertising messages can be applied to easily replaceable transparent films or slides depending on the configuration of the device.
A simple and inexpensive device which enables the user to wash up in a standard toilet stall would be well received. A touchless soap and water dispenser for a toilet stall, which dispenses soap foam and water for the purpose of personal cleansing prior to emerging from the toilet stall, would resolve this problem.